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Hall: MEPs push for more fuel efficient and less polluting cars

Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall welcomed today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Industry Committee to renew the procedure in which vehicles are tested on their emissions and fuel efficiency.

Current tests do not take place under real life conditions and turn a blind eye to the practice of taping over cracks around the doors and grill, over-inflated tyres, adjusting the wheel alignment and brakes, using special super-lubricants, minimising the weight of the vehicle, testing at altitude and at unrealistically high temperatures and on super-slick test-tracks.

Ms Hall was responsible for drafting a report in the Industry Committee on measures to help reach the EU’s 2020 targets of cutting CO2 emissions for passenger cars. Commenting after the vote, she said:

“The current test cycle for cars is highly misleading for consumers.

“Car buyers face much higher fuel bills than they are led to expect. We must urgently revise those tests and close all loopholes.”

Ms Hall also welcomed the committee’s endorsement of Commission plans to come forward in 2014 with new targets for 2025. This will give planning certainty to the industry and allow it to keep up with the US market where such a target already exists. She added:

“C02 emissions from new cars in the UK fell by 5.2% in 2012 and across Europe, manufacturers are expected to meet the new emission targets well before 2020. That’s why it is time to look ahead and introduce new targets for 2025 to allow the industry to plan their direction of travel”

ENDS

Note to editors:

A recent analysis by Jato Dynamics, a leading provider of automotive intelligence, show that CO2 emissions from new cars in the UK fell by 5.2% in 2012, from 137.9g/km to 132.7g/km. More details can be found here.

A recent Transport and Environment (T&E) report on how car manufacturers can use current test-cycle procedures to boost the green credentials of their cars can be found here.